Photo : DR
Ogresses in pieces
In this workshop, participants are invited to create their own ogress from a repertoire of shape fragments.
Institut des Cultures d'Islam (ICI) (Paris 18th)
About
The ogress is a figure that transgresses norms: too big, too greedy, too multiple. She is scary because she escapes the usual categories. Hybrid and composite, she seems to have devoured everything in her path, becoming herself an accumulation of everything she has absorbed.
In this workshop, participants are invited to create their own ogress from a repertoire of shape fragments – heads, torsos, arms, legs, tails, wings, ears, eyes, mouths, paws, or other elements – to combine, move, repeat, and transform.
It will not be about building a realistic creature, but rather about exploring how to connect elements that do not necessarily go together.
This workshop, open to everyone, was conceived with and based on the work of the artist Nadira Husain. It is preceded by a visit to the exhibition.
About Nadira Husain
Nadira Husain develops a practice rooted in painting and extended to textiles, ceramics, and spatial forms. Nourished by her multicultural background, her work mobilizes a critical imagination to explore post-migration, the circulation of forms, and cultural hybridity. She describes her practice as "bastard," an emancipatory position opening up a space of intersection and transcultural language, questioning the notions of legitimacy and illegitimacy of forms and narratives.
Our take on this event
Forget conventional fairy tales and come craft your own hybrid ogress in a workshop celebrating the art of mixing and matching. Armed with an assortment of strange limbs and mismatched forms, you get to build a wild creature that defies reality. It is a rare chance to channel your inner chaos into something truly unique under the guidance of an artist who embraces the unconventional.
The Ogresses en pièces exhibition at the Institut des Cultures d'Islam explores the hybrid figure of the ogress through a creative workshop. Developed in collaboration with artist Nadira Husain, this event invites participants to assemble their own creatures using a variety of disparate fragments like torsos, wings, and limbs. Suitable for children aged 6 and up when accompanied by an adult, this engaging activity is free of charge but requires a prior reservation. Immerse yourself in an artistic process that blends a guided exhibition tour with hands-on creation to explore themes of cultural hybridity and shape-shifting.
Located in the 18th arrondissement, the Institut des Cultures d'Islam presents Ogresses en pièces, a special program centered on the work of artist Nadira Husain. Through her practice—which spans painting, textiles, and ceramics—Husain examines concepts of post-migration and the fluidity of cultural forms. This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with her artistic vision, which she describes as a hybrid approach that challenges traditional boundaries.
Each session begins with a tour of the exhibition, allowing participants to understand the context of the works before starting the creative process. Participants are then invited to build their own creatures by combining diverse elements such as heads, eyes, tails, and mouths. The goal is not to construct a realistic being, but rather to experiment with connecting mismatched parts to form something entirely new.
The workshop is open to children from age 6, provided they are accompanied by an adult. The event will take place on December 12, 2026, January 16, 2027, and February 6, 2027. While the experience is free, reservations must be made in advance. It is a creative space designed for everyone to reflect on how forms and narratives circulate in a multicultural world.
